Teaching and Research Specialties: Public Administration, Public Policy
Dr. Mark McBeth has taught in the Department of Political Science at Idaho State University since January, 1995. He directs the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program and is Director of Graduate Studies. He currently teaches Public Policy Analysis, Public Personnel Administration, Organizational and Bureaucratic Theory, Political Science Research Methodology, Public Policy Seminar, and Introduction to American Government. At Idaho State University, Dr. McBeth has been named both as a "Master Teacher" (2001) and a "Distinguished Teacher" (2005).
He is the co-author (with Randall Clemons, Mercyhurst College) of the widely adopted public policy analysis text Public Policy Praxis (Prentice Hall, 2001, a second edition is due in 2008). His most recent publications have focused on the impact of narratives in explaining public policy conflict. These include "Public Opinion for Sale" published in Policy Sciences (co-authored with Elizabeth Shanahan, Montana State University) in 2004, "The Science of Storytelling" (co-authored with Shanahan and Michael D. Jones, University of Oklahoma) published in the journal Society and Natural Resources in 2005 and "The Intersection of Narrative Policy Analysis and Policy Change Theory" (with Shanahan, Ruth Arnell, Idaho State University, and Paul Hathaway, Idaho State University) published in Policy Studies Journal in 2007. He is currently working as part of a research team that is exploring whether newspaper articles are policy narratives and if so how they relate to theories of policy change. Much of his current research combines postpositivist narrative theory with traditional content analysis techniques in a form of mixed methodology. Finally, he is working on a book length manuscript on the role of policy narratives in both policy change and intractability using the Greater Yellowstone Area as a case study. He was recently funded by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Committee at Idaho State University to finalize the research for the book.
He has taught in the Certified Public Manager program for the State of Idaho and the New Knowledge Adventures program at Idaho State University. He also has conducted training and strategic planning work for Partners for Prosperity -a non-profit group dedicated to addressing poverty in Southeast Idaho. At ISU, he has served on the Graduate Council, Research Coordinating Council, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Committee (2 terms), and the Athletic Advisory Board.
In his spare time, he enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, biking, and nature photography both in Southeast Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He is also a life-long fan of Major League Baseball and classic rock music.
Professor Mark McBeth
Graveley Hall, North Wing 310
Postal Box 8319, Pocatello, ID 83209-8319
Tele: 208-282-2740, FAX: 208-282-4833
mcbemark@isu.edu
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